Blue Devils Start Picking Up Postseason Accolades

DURHAM, N.C. --- The Duke women's lacrosse earned its first handful of postseason awards, starting with the NCAA All-Tournament team and the Womenslax.com 2008 season honors. Junior attacker Carolyn Davis and sophomore midfielder Lindsay Gilbride were named to the 2008 NCAA All-Tournament team for their efforts in the Blue Devils' national semifinal game, announced late Sunday at the conclusion of the national championship game. Davis also earned Womenslax.com All-America accolades, while head coach Kerstin Kimel took home the Coach of the Year and midfielder Emma Hamm was named the Rookie of the Year.

Davis and Gilbride were the go-to players for Duke in the national semifinal loss to Penn, 9-8, in overtime on May 23. Davis tallied five goals on just six shots, which led all scorers in the game and tied a Blue Devil record for most goals in an NCAA Tournament match. She also picked up three draw controls in the game. Gilbride found the back of the net twice on free-position shots in coming off of the bench. Her goal with one minute left remaining in regulation tied the game at 8-8 and sent it into overtime. Gilbride also picked up one ground ball and secured one draw control.

Davis was outstanding for the Blue Devils this season, especially considering she was cleared to play just a week before the season opener after spending the off-season rehabilitating from a torn ACL that she suffered in the final game of the 2007 campaign. Davis also adjusted to playing attack after running the midfield the previous two seasons. The native of Skaneateles, N.Y., led Duke with 61 goals, 76 points and 129 shots. Davis also picked up 26 ground balls, grabbed 24 draw controls and caused 13 turnovers. In April, she was named to the All-ACC team for the second straight year and to the ACC All-Tournament team for the second time in three years. Davis finished fourth on the Duke records list for goals in a season and seventh for season points. She ranks ninth in Division I for active career goal leaders (not including the NCAA class of 2008). Davis earned IWLCA All-South Region first team accolades last week.

Kimel took the Blue Devils to their fourth consecutive Final Four and fifth overall despite losing five of 12 starters from 2007 to graduation and two more to injury. The team lost four straight games from March 22 through April 6 to ranked teams but bounced back to make the NCAA Tournament and upset both No. 6 Georgetown and No. 3 Maryland on the road before succumbing to No. 2 Penn in the national semifinals. Kimel also earned her 150th win at Duke in a 17-6 win on Feb. 22 over Richmond. She has led Duke to 11 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, which is tied for the third-longest run in Division I.

Hamm made the adjustment to Division I lacrosse very smoothly this year. A product of Wayne, Pa., she tallied at least one point in every game until she went down with an ankle injury less than two minutes into Duke's national semfinal contest with Penn. Hamm led the team in draw controls (51) and caused turnovers (28) this season and ranked second in assists (21) and ground balls (38). Hamm earned a spot on the All-ACC team in just her first season as a Blue Devil and then topped that off by winning the ACC's Rookie of the Year Award. On March 3, she was named WomensLax.com's National Rookie of the Week and on March 18 honored as WomensLacrosse.com's National Rookie of the Week. Hamm was named to the IWLCA All-South Region second team and is now a candidate for All-America honors in just her first season at the collegiate level.

Duke went 13-8 in 2008, placed third in the ACC at 3-2 and reached the national semifinals of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season despite losing seven of 12 starters from 2007 to graduation and injury. The Blue Devils will return nine of 12 starters from this year's squad in 2009 and will have 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Caroline Cryer back after missing the season due to a foot injury.

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